ZivaHub General Policy v1.0 

The University of Cape Town (UCT) seeks to ensure consistent practice related to research data management principles towards Open Science.  UCT supports effective data sharing, including open access and the need for data to be findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable as part of the FAIR principles.  

The following document outlines the general polices of ZivaHub Open Data UCT, the institutional data repository. 

Content Submission 

Subject Coverage: All areas of research and all data types are encompassed. Content must adhere to privacy, copyright, confidentiality, and non-disclosure agreements, especially concerning data obtained from human subjects. 

Research Data Status: Data from any stage of the research process is accepted. 

Eligible Depositors:  Individuals affiliated to the University of Cape Town can login as ZivaHub users through their Single-Sign on and are permitted to deposit content for which they have appropriate rights. 

Ownership: Uploading content does not transfer ownership or property rights to ZivaHub; content remains the property of the original parties. 

File Formats: All file formats are permissible, including those not conducive to preservation. Efforts are underway to develop guidelines and features to facilitate conversion and normalisation of deposited in preservation-friendly formats. 

Volume and Size Limits: Each account has a total file size limit of 20GB, with higher quotas available upon request and approval on a case-by-case basis. The maximum individual file size limit is 20Gb. 

Data Quality: All provided information is presented "as-is," and users are responsible for their use of the data, indemnifying ZivaHub and data providers from any associated liabilities. 

Metadata Types and Sources: Metadata is internally stored in JSON format according to a predefined schema and can be exported in standard formats such as MARCXML, Dublin Core, and DataCite Metadata Schema, following OpenAIRE Guidelines. 

Language: English is preferred for textual items, but contributions in all languages are welcomed. 

Licences: The repository maintains relevant open licenses covering data access and use. The repository monitors compliance in the assigning of licences. 

Access and Reuse 

Access to Data Objects: Deposited files may be categorized under open or embargoed access. Closed access files are safeguarded against unauthorized access at all levels. Access to metadata and data files is facilitated through standard protocols like HTTPS, API and OAI-PMH. 

Use and Reuse of Data Objects: The utilization and repurposing of data objects depends on the licence they were first deposited under. 

Embargo Status: Authenticated users have the option to deposit content under embargo status, specifying an end date for the embargo. During the embargo period, access to the data is restricted; upon the embargo's conclusion, the content automatically becomes publicly accessible. 

Restricted Access: Authenticated users can deposit restricted files with the capability to grant access to others, subject to specific conditions. These files remain unavailable to the public, and access sharing is contingent upon the depositor's approval. 

Metadata Access and Reuse: Metadata is licenced under CC0, excluding email addresses. Metadata can be exported via OAI-PMH and is available for harvesting. 

Removal 

Revocation: Depositors must either possess exclusive rights to the data or have obtained permission from the rights holder(s) to publish it. Furthermore, the data should not in violation of any UCT Policies and laws, and it should not contain confidential or sensitive information related to human subjects. Users are urged to report any suspected policy violations promptly, preferably within 24 hours of upload. Alternatively, if content already possesses an external DOI, the ZivaHub DOI will be nullified, and the record will be updated to reference the original external DOI. Account access may be revoked for violations of the ZivaHub Terms of Data Deposit. 

Withdrawal: If a previously uploaded research object needs to be withdrawn, the reason for withdrawal will be stated on a designated tombstone page, which will be served in place of the removed content. Withdrawal is considered an exceptional measure and typically requires a request and thorough justification from the original uploader. In other cases, reasonable efforts will be made to contact the original uploader for consent. The DOI and URL of the original object will be preserved. 

Longevity 

Replicas: As the University of Cape Town (UCT) data repository, ZivaHub, operates through Figshare for Institutions, all data stored within Figshare is hosted on Amazon Web Services. Amazon S3 maintains multiple redundant copies and employs authentication mechanisms to safeguard against unauthorized access. Every component of the Figshare data store undergoes regular backups, with metadata backed up daily and complete snapshots of the data store taken weekly. 

Retention Period: Items will be preserved for the duration of the repository's existence, currently aligned with the operational lifespan of Figshare, the hosting service. 

Functional Preservation: ZivaHub does not guarantee the ongoing usability and comprehensibility of deposited objects over time. 

File Preservation: Efforts are underway to systemise the processing of data files and associated metadata into an active digital preservation system.  

Fixity and Authenticity: To guarantee the integrity of the datasets throughout the described procedures, MD5 integrity checks are implemented. These checks occur during both the upload of data and the transfer from the published (archive) storage to the preservation storage. 

Succession Plans: In the event of repository closure, diligent efforts will be made to seamlessly transfer all content to suitable alternative institutional repositories. 

 

ZivaHub General Policy v1.0  - 2024-05-01  
Owner: Digital Library Services, University of Cape Town Libraries